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gichi-onaagan ni a large dish or shallow pan: a basin, a dish pan

gichi-oodena ni a city

gichi-waazakonenjiganaaboo ni gas, gasoline

gichi-wiikaa adv tmp for a very long while

gichi-ziibi ni
  1. a big river
  2. the Mississippi River

gichigami ni
  1. a sea, a large lake
  2. Lake Superior

gichigamiiwashk ni a reed, a rush

gichigamiiwaabo ni [BL] ocean water; water of a great lake

gichigaad ni a right leg

gichinik ni a right hand

gichitwaawibii'igan ni sacred writing, scripture

gichiwam vta hold h/ back with teeth

gichiwaabikishin vai s/he is stuck on a rock, drives the boat onto rock

gichiwaagonesin vii it is stuck in the snow

Paired with: gichiwaagoneshin vai

gichiwaagoneshin vai s/he is stuck in the snow

gichiwaakwa'an vti pin it down, clamp it down

(derived noun) gichiwaakwa'igan ni [BL] something that pins or clamps things down: a peg, a clamp, a clothespin
gichiwaakwa'igan ni [BL] something that pins or clamps things down: a peg, a clamp, a clothespin

gichiwaakwaji vai s/he, it (animate) gets snagged, gets caught up on something stick-like

gichiwibiisaanishi vai s/he is stranded because of the rain

gichiwijiishkiwesin vii it is stuck in the mud

Paired with: gichiwijiishkiweshin vai

gichiwijiishkiweshin vai s/he, it (animate) is stuck in the mud

Paired with: gichiwijiishkiwesin vii

gichiwim vta talk h/ out of going

gichiwin vta hold h/ back; keep h/ from going

gichiwisin vii it is stuck

gichiwishkaa vii it gets stuck

Paired with: gichiwishkaa vai

gichiwishkaa vai sh/e, it (animate) gets stuck

Paired with: gichiwishkaa vii

gichizid ni right foot

gid= pf you [the one or ones spoken to; the second person]; your [the one or ones spoken to; the second person]

gidagagwadaashi na a crappie

[
black crappie
; 
Pomoxis nigromaculatus
]

gidaganagekozi vai s/he (a tree) has spotted bark

gidaganashkidii vai s/he (a bird) has a spotted tail

gidagaa vii it is spotted, is multi-colored

Paired with: gidagizi vai

gidagaa-bizhiw na a bobcat

[
Lynx rufus
]

gidagaabikad vii it (mineral) is spotted, is multi-colored

Paired with: gidagaabikizi vai

gidagaabikizi vai s/he (mineral) is spotted, is multi-colored

Paired with: gidagaabikad vii

gidagaakigane vai s/he has a spotted chest

gidagaakoons na a fawn

gidagibii'an vti draw dots or spots on it

(detransitive) gidagibii'ige vai s/he draws dots or spots
gidagibii'ige vai s/he draws dots or spots

gidagigwane vai s/he (a bird) has spotted feathers

gidagimakakii na a leopard frog

[
northern leopard frog
; 
Lithobates pipiens
]

gidagizi vai s/he is spotted, is multi-colored

gidagiigad vii it is spotted, is multi-colored (as something sheet-like)

Paired with: gidagiigizi vai

gidagiigin ni calico, print cotton fabric

gidagiigizi vai s/he (something sheet-like) is spotted, is multi-colored

Paired with: gidagiigad vii

gidagiingwe vai s/he has spots on h/ face, has freckles on h/ face

gida' vta remove h/ (using something)

Paired with: gida'an vti

gida'amaw vta remove (it) for h/ (using something)

gida'an vti remove it (using something)

Paired with: gida' vta

(benefactive) gida'amaw vta remove (it) for h/ (using something)
gidamo vta eat all of h/, eat h/ up

Paired with: gidaan vti4

gidasamaw vta parch (it) for h/

gidasan vti roast it to remove something, parch it [wild rice]

(benefactive) gidasamaw vta parch (it) for h/ (detransitive) gidasige vai s/he roast things (to remove something), parches wild rice (verb of undergoing) gidasigaade vii it is roasted (to remove something), is parched [of wild rice] (derived noun) gidasigan ni parched wild rice
gidasigan ni parched wild rice

gidasigaade vii it is roasted (to remove something), is parched [of wild rice]

gidasige vai s/he roast things (to remove something), parches wild rice

gidashkibide vii it is threshed and winnowed in a machine

gidashkibidewaabik ni a threshing machine for wild rice

gidawemaa nad your sibling of the opposite sex; your brother; your sister

giday nad your dog; your horse

gidaabiigibide vii it (something string-like) comes off in operation

gidaagaade all of it eaten (by someone), "they" eat all of it

gidaagaazo vai all of h/ is eaten (by someone), "they" eat all of h/

gidaa'ogo vai s/he undergoes wave action

gidaamikan nid your chin, jaw

gidaan vti4 eat all of it, eat it up

Paired with: gidamo vta

gidaanawe vai s/he eats it all, eats everything up

gidaandawe vai s/he climbs out

gidaangoshenh nad your (if you are female) cross-cousin: (a female cross-cousin: your mother's brother's daughter, your father's sister's daughter)

gidaangwe nad your sister-in-law (a female's sister-in-law)

gidaanis nad your daughter

gidaasin vii it is removed in the wind

Paired with: gidaashi vai

gidaashi vai it (animate) is removed in the wind

Paired with: gidaasin vii

gidaatabawinzo vai s/he picks berries quickly

gidaatabii vai s/he is quick, is fast (at doing something)

gidaatabowe vai [BL] s/he talks fast

gidede nad your father

gidedeyinaan nad our father = grandfather

gide' nid your heart

gidenaniw nid your tongue

gidengway nid [ML] your face

gidengwaan nid [N] your face

gidenigom nad your nostril

gidimaagenim vta pity h/

gidimaaginaagozi vai s/he looks poor

Paired with: gidimaaginaagwad vii

gidimaaginaagwad vii it looks poor

Paired with: gidimaaginaagozi vai

gidimaagizi vai s/he is poor, is pitiful

(derived noun) gidimaagiziwin ni poverty
gidimaagiziwin ni poverty

gidin vta remove h, take h/ off (by hand)

Paired with: gidinan vti

gidinamaw vta remove (it) for h/, take (it) off for h/

gidinamegwe vai s/he takes fish from the net

gidinan vti remove it, take it off (by hand)

Paired with: gidin vta

(benefactive) gidinamaw vta remove (it) for h/, take (it) off for h/
gidiniigan nid your shoulder blade (scapula)

gidis nid your navel, umbilical cord

gidiskaabiigin vta release, disconnect, unhook, unplug h/ (as something string-like)

Paired with: gidiskaabiiginan vti

gidiskaabiiginamaw vta release, disconnect, unhook, unplug (it) (as something string-like) for h/

gidiskaabiiginan vti release, disconnect, unhook, unplug it (as something string-like)

Paired with: gidiskaabiigin vta

(detransitive) gidiskaabiiginige vai s/he releases, disconnects, unhooks, unplugs things (as something string-like) (verb of undergoing) gidiskaabiiginigaade vii it is released, disconnected, unhooked, unplugged (as something string-like) (by someone), "they" release, disconnect, unhook, unplug it (as something string-like) (benefactive) gidiskaabiiginamaw vta release, disconnect, unhook, unplug (it) (as something string-like) for h/
gidiskaabiiginigaade vii it is released, disconnected, unhooked, unplugged (as something string-like) (by someone), "they" release, disconnect, unhook, unplug it (as something string-like)

gidiskaabiiginige vai s/he releases, disconnects, unhooks, unplugs things (as something string-like)

gidiskaabiigise vii it (something string-like) comes free, is disconnected

gidiskaabiigishkaa vii it disconnects, comes off (as something string-like)

The Ojibwe People's Dictionary is developed and maintained by:
Nora Livesay, Editor
John D. Nichols, Founder and Linguistic Editor

with support and collaboration from the University of Minnesota's Department of American Indian Studies and University Libraries.

Additional Resources

Many of the words in the Ojibwe People's Dictionary have related resources. Click through to the full dictionary entry to hear audio recordings, see images, read documents and watch videos. Here's a key to resource icons.

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Speakers & Regions Key

Individual speakers and speakers from different regions use different words when speaking. Each audio recording is marked with the initials of the Ojibwe speaker. Click on a speaker's initials to go to the speaker's bio page. If an Ojibwe word is particular to a certain region, it will be marked with a region code. Click on the region code to go to the Regions page.